I didn't answer Kael's question right away.

Instead, I let my lips curve into a slow, deliberate smile, my gaze locking on Lyandra.

"Is that my wedding dress?" I asked.

Her eyes widened with theatrical surprise, then she lowered her gaze and folded her hands like a schoolgirl caught doing naughty things.

"Oh, Serena…" she breathed, soft and syrupy, "I… I didn't know you'd be here for the final fitting."

She glanced down at herself, the ivory gown flowing over her frame as though it had been made for her instead of me. "I'm so sorry… I shouldn't have worn it."

I chuckled, letting the sound carry just enough dryness to sting. "So if I'm not here, it's fine for you to wear it?"

Draven snorted from the corner, arms crossed. "It's just a dress. You're not so stingy you can't let Lyandra check the fit, are you?"

Before I could respond, Lyandra shook her head and bit her lip, playing the guilty one perfectly. "No, no… Draven, she's right. It's not proper. I'll take it off right away."

Her fingers brushed the veil's clasp, trembling in a way that would melt any gullible onlooker's heart.

Draven turned to me sharply. "You hear that? She's trying to be considerate, and you're just standing there. Selfish, Serena. That's what it is."

I hadn't said a single word to him yet. My arms folded loosely, my face calm. If they wanted to perform, I would be their quiet, unwilling audience.

"Enough," Kael cut in, his voice edged with irritation. His frown deepened as his gaze locked on mine. "Answer my question. Whose wedding is getting cancelled?"

The staff beside me turned, waiting for an answer.

"Just checking on last-minute preparations," I said lightly, my smile fixed. I let my eyes drift deliberately over to Lyandra in the gown.

"It's only two days until our wedding. And look at her…" My voice was honeyed, my eyes cold. "She looks stunning. Like a bride."

Kael's jaw twitched, guilt flickering before he quickly smothered it. He stepped closer. "Where have you been these past few days?"

A short laugh escaped me. He didn't even know I'd been in the hospital. Before I could speak, Lyandra's airy voice slid neatly between us.

"She must have been busy preparing for the wedding," she said sweetly, her tone implying I'd been doing nonsensical things.

Draven smirked. "And for what? What's the point of you preparing?"

"Draven," Kael snapped, shooting him a glare. Then he turned back to me. "We're heading to dinner. Come with us."

He didn't wait for my answer, just walked toward the door like I'd follow automatically.

We left the bridal shop in silence, cancellation papers heavy in my lap.

From the passenger seat, Lyandra suddenly gasped in mock surprise. "Ah? But Kael… don't you have your bachelor party tonight?"

Kael blinked, like the thought had just struck him. "That's… tonight?"

Draven laughed. "Been planned for weeks. Don't tell me you forgot."

Kael's eyes met mine briefly, guilt shadowing them. "I guess I did. But Serena…"

"It's fine," I said quietly, saving him the trouble. "Go to your party. It's not every day you're the groom."

"That's true," Lyandra chimed in, her voice lilting. "You should enjoy your last hours as a single man."

Draven chuckled. "Exactly. No need to worry. Bachelor parties are sacred."

Kael gave a small, helpless smile. "Then how about Serena and Lyandra?"

"I have plans," Lyandra interrupted, almost too quickly. "Meeting a relative tonight. She lives along the way, so Kael can drop me off."

I opened my mouth. "Then I—"

Draven's voice cut me off. "This is your stop, Serena."

The car slowed near a nearly deserted street, its only light the flicker of a cab sign. One taxi waited at the far end, headlights slicing through the dark.

"Here's a good place to catch a cab," Draven said.

Kael looked back at me. "The party is on the opposite way. Just ride a taxi to go home."

Lyandra leaned back, offering a dainty wave. "Take care, Serena."

The door clicked open. The night air was sharp and cold, nipping at my skin as I stepped out. My grip on my bag tightened.

The car pulled away, off to drop Lyandra somewhere "safe" while I am left alone in a dark sidewalk.

I stood there until the taxi driver gestured impatiently. Sliding into the back seat, I glanced through the window at the empty road behind me.

None of them had looked back.

Hours later, the apartment was silent but for the rasp of hangers as I pulled clothes from the closet. Dresses folded into a suitcase. Shoes shoved into the side pocket.

Every zipper that closed sounded like the final page of a chapter.

Halfway through folding a coat, my phone buzzed.

A new post.

Lyandra.

She was clinging to Kael's arm, her cheek pressed to his shoulder, looking intimate.

"He's getting married soon but still makes time for me."

So much for "meeting a relative."

I folded the coat slowly, set it in the suitcase, zipped it shut. Then I pushed it toward the door, leaving the cancellation papers for the wedding neatly on the table behind.

The bachelor's party was meant to wrap up in just a few hours, but somehow Kael had decided to stretch it into another day.

I was sitting at the airport café, sipping the bitter coffee that had gone cold far too quickly, when my phone lit up with a notification.

Out of habit, I tapped it open.

Someone had posted a series of pictures. They were in a club with bright neon lights even though the sun was high outside.

Music pulsed in the background of the short videos, glasses clinking, people laughing.

And there, in several of the pictures, was Kael.

Kael… and Lyandra.

They were standing far too close, heads tilted toward each other, their smiles too intimate for comfort. In one shot, she had her hand on his shoulder, and he wasn't exactly pushing it away.

They looked like a couple.

My lips curled into a faint, humorless smile.

I wasn't surprised.

Disappointed? Yes.

But shocked? Not anymore.

As I scrolled through the images, I found myself remembering how it had all started.

Kael and I had met back in high school. I had been a shy but determined student, focused on grades but willing to try new things.

Lyandra had been my best friend since grade school, though "best friend" felt like a fragile title now.

She had always been… competitive. Jealous, even. It had started with little things like copying my clothes or trying to outshine me in group projects, but I told myself it was harmless.

That was what friends sometimes did. I tolerated it because, deep down, I didn't think she could ever really hurt me.

I met Kael during the school's annual sports fest. He was on the basketball team, all easy charm and quick wit, and I hadn't thought much of him at first.

But somehow, we ended up sitting together during a lunch break, talking about music and favorite movies, laughing like we had known each other for years.

We started dating a year later.

That was when Lyandra began to weave herself into our time together. At first, it seemed harmless.

She would join us for group dinners, help Kael plan little surprises for me. But then, something shifted. The way she looked at him wasn't the way a best friend should look at her best friend's boyfriend.

And every now and then, she would say something sharp and subtle little digs that made me feel like I was the one being unreasonable.

By the time we all reached college, I often found myself in situations where Kael and Draven would look at me as though I were the villain.

As though my discomfort was unjustified.

It was only now, years later, sitting here in this airport, that I could see the truth clearly.

Lyandra had been trying to take everything from me, piece by piece.

I exhaled slowly, forcing my hand to put down the phone. My chest felt tight, but I refused to let it crush me.

It was fine. I told myself I was letting it go. All of it.

My phone buzzed again. This time, it was Mom.

"Are you about to depart?" she asked as soon as I answered.

"Yes," I said, my voice calm, almost detached.

"Good. I'll be waiting here," she replied softly.

I nodded, even though she couldn't see me. "Alright, Mom. I'll see you soon."

Hanging up, I gathered my things. The boarding call echoed through the airport, and I stood, walking toward the gate.

I didn't look back.

---

The next day, sunlight spilled through thin curtains, casting a sharp glare on Kael's face. He groaned, turning over. His head was pounding, every heartbeat drumming against his skull.

And then he froze.

Lyandra was there, curled up beside him, tangled in the sheets.

She looked peaceful, content even, as though the world outside this room didn't matter.

"What the hell…" he muttered, running a hand down his face. His memory was a blur. The party. The drinks. The club. And then… nothing.

Before he could piece it together, his phone started ringing on the nightstand. The shrill sound made his headache worse.

With a low growl, he grabbed it and answered without checking who it was.

"What?" he snapped, his voice gravelly.

The voice on the other end was just as sharp. "Where the hell are you, Kael?!"

He frowned. "Who's this—?"

"Don't you know the voice of your father? Never mind. The wedding is about to start. You're not here, and the guests are already waiting. When are you coming?"

Kael sat bolt upright, the blood draining from his face.

The wedding.

His wedding.

His stomach lurched, panic clawing up his throat as he hurriedly rushed out to prepare.

"No… no, no. How the hell could I forget my own wedding?"

His heart slammed against his ribs so violently he sat upright at once, cold sweat forming on his forehead.

"Sh*t…" The curse left him like a broken whisper.

He had not called me yesterday. Not even to give me a heads-up about his extended bachelor's party. Not a single message to check in, not even to confirm if everything was fine.

He had thought he would have enough time to talk to me at night. Who would have thought that he would not even have time to go home since he had been too drunk?

He rubbed his temples, panic clawing at his chest.

His eyes darted to the chair where he had tossed his clothes, but nothing there looked fitting for the ceremony. There was only a crumpled shirt and jeans. Both even smelled of liquor.

His suit, his shoes, and everything he needed for the wedding were at the other hotel where the preparations were held.

Kael cursed again and stood, rifling through the closet with trembling hands. He tried to look for something to wear, at least decent enough to attend his own wedding.

"Why are there only pajamas and bathrobes here? I can't wear these."

His movements were frantic, tugging hangers one by one. The pounding of his heartbeat was louder than the persistent ringing of his phone in the background.

The sound gnawed at him until he could no longer ignore it. He snatched the phone off the dresser, ready to shut it up, when movement beside him caught his eye.

"Kael…" Lyandra's voice was soft, husky from sleep, curling like smoke around him.

She slid from under the sheets, her skin pale and glowing, her hair messy in the kind of way magazines tried to capture but never quite succeeded.

The blanket clung to her curves, slipping dangerously as she reached for him, her hand brushing along his arm.

"Come back," she murmured, clinging coquettishly, her lips pulling into a lazy smile. "I'm tired… Let's sleep more. You don't have to rush. It's only… an event. Nothing important."

Kael froze.

The ringing continued, shrill, but all he heard now was her voice and its playfulness, its dangerous sweetness. He turned his head to really look at her, and that was when his stomach turned to stone.

There were marks.

Red, intimate marks trailing down her neck, on her shoulders, on her thighs barely covered by the sheet.

Marks he recognized, because he had put them there.

The sight hit him like ice water. His mouth went dry. His lungs forgot how to breathe.

He staggered back a step, cold crawling across his skin, and shoved Lyandra's hand away with more force than he intended.

She gasped softly, blinking as if she couldn't believe it.

"Kael?" Her voice cracked with grievance. "Why did you push me away?"

Kael's jaw clenched until it hurt.

"Because it's my wedding day, Lyandra," he snapped, his voice sharp, cutting through the air. "My OWN wedding. How could you say it's not important?"

She bit her lip, her expression shifting instantly, the corners of her eyes misting as though tears would fall. She looked pitiful, fragile, as though he had struck her instead of just rejecting her touch.

But Kael did not fall for it.

He turned his back on her, dragging on the only suit jacket he could find even if it didn't match. He bent to yank on his shoes, fingers trembling as he tied the laces with clumsy haste.

Behind him, the bed creaked.

"So you're really going?" Lyandra's voice wavered, edged with panic now.

Kael didn't answer. He shoved one arm through his sleeve, reaching for his watch.

"You'll leave me here, alone?" she pressed, her voice rising as her desperation broke through her carefully constructed innocence. "After… after what happened last night?"

Kael froze.

Her words slashed through his mind, ripping open the haze he had tried not to think about. His head turned slowly, his eyes landing on her sitting there with the sheets wrapped tightly around her, her wide eyes shimmering with unshed tears.

"You can't," she whispered, hugging herself. "You can't just leave like this. Not after last night."

He stared at her, heart hammering, throat closing. "Lyandra…"

She shifted, letting the blanket slip further down her shoulder, baring the faintest glimpse of the red marks again.

"It was my first time," she said softly, almost brokenly, though her eyes shone with something more cunning than grief. "I gave it to you, Kael. How can you… how can you just walk away from me like it meant nothing?"

Kael staggered a step back.

He remembered me. He truly loved me. If not, how could our relationship have lasted this long? Yet he could no longer crave my touch, as if it were something he had long grown bored with.

And then here was Lyandra, staring at him with that mixture of vulnerability and manipulation, tethering him with invisible chains.

"Don't say that," he growled under his breath, dragging a hand down his face.

"It's true," she pressed on, voice trembling as if the weight of the world sat on her shoulders. "You held me, Kael. You touched me like I was yours. And now… what? You'll just leave me as if I'm nothing? As if I didn't matter at all?"

"Stop it," he snapped, his voice breaking with strain. "Just. Stop."

But she didn't. She pushed further, leaning forward, her tone a perfect mix of broken and alluring.

"Do you know how much it hurts? To give everything and be left behind like some… some mistake? If you walk out that door, Kael, what am I supposed to be? Who am I supposed to be?"

His hands shook as he jammed the last shoe onto his foot, his chest tightening until he could barely breathe.

"This… this was a mistake," he muttered hoarsely, more to himself than to her.

Her face crumpled, though the sheen in her eyes was sharp enough to cut glass.

"So, I'm a mistake now? You'll regret saying that, Kael. You will."

He looked at her one last time, torn between guilt and fury and sheer horror, before tearing his gaze away and storming toward the door. His movements were clumsy, frantic, almost violent as he grabbed his keys and shoved his phone into his pocket.

Lyandra's voice rang out behind him, sharp with desperation. "Kael! If you leave me like this, you'll regret it for the rest of your life!"

Her words chased him as he slammed the door shut, his breath ragged, his hands numb.